Requiem
by Kiryume
Summary: Mizael shall take care of Kaito's remains. (Spoilers. Mizakai. Mentions of VKai. Character death.)


Everyone is quick to understand that Kaito won't come back, and the first one to do so is Mizael because he is the one mourning the dead duelist next to his corpse - and if only Yuuma would shut up for a moment things would be so much easier to swallow, but no, there he is _talking _about how he won't give up on the hope (is there a worse word at the moment) Kaito has left them all. The Barian can't even focus his own thoughts and only when he feels Kaito's family turn off the connection and the three pests abandon the sight too that he feels he's breathing again; it's not actually that but more of a motion of his chest up and down, as if imitating the human action of needing air helps him relax.

Mizael knows he can't leave his rival - his _friend_ - there to be forgotten. It's not his style. Picking the lifeless body in his arms hurts his soul more than he thinks it could and tears well up in his eyes again; it's _dumb_, it's so _human_, yet dropping so low for Kaito's sake doesn't seem that wrong for him anymore. He knows that most likely the other people attached to Kaito would claim him but for now he'd take care of it all. The interdimensional portal opens and they both vanish through it, the only remnant of their duel the giant stone slabs that seem to carry a funeral of their own.

* * *

If there is something Mizael can't stand that is insistent people. They get him on his nerves and to just give up and offer them whatever they're asking for in hope they'll drop it already and leave him alone - but not this time. No matter how much they plea, no matter how much they beg he's _never_ going to hand Kaito back to them; not in a world where he can rot and not keep his peaceful face forever, he won't allow such level of disrespect towards him.

It is natural for the Tenjos to want him back, of course, he can't deny that they hold a certain right to him but that doesn't mean he'll _comply_ to it or actually send him back to earth so they can put him in a hole (and it isn't even a special treatment like he considers Kaito deserves, no, they'd just bury him along with other humans as if there is _nothing_ more important about him than the others). Again, lack of appreciation, and Kaito was too much of a noble soul to be properly recognized by anyone but Mizael. If there's anyone capable of treating the lifeless body the way it should be that's him; so for now it stays well-kept in the crystal adorning the middle of Mizael's room.

* * *

Mizael doesn't understand why he gave in - not that it is uncharacteristic of him when he is being pestered, but because he had promised himself Kaito wouldn't leave his side - and especially why to _him_.He doesn't like the oldest of the Arclight brothers and never did so it clearly wasn't out of friendship or anything along the lines of _oh sure here's Kaito you can have him why haven't you said so earlier_. The Barian isn't stupid and he knows about their past relationship and what the two used to feel for each other. It's not jealousy - that'd be so idiotic of him to be jealous - he just feels that Christopher Arclight doesn't have half the right of guarding Kaito that he has.

Losing to him was what discredited the Arclight in Mizael's eyes; if his concern for Kaito were so great, if he wanted that much to help out and be there for him, he would've _won_. It's too late to make assumptions (as late as it is for a lot of other things, Mizael notices) but a part of him thinks that if he had lost to the Arclight there might have been a chance - even the slightest - for Kaito to survive.

He speaks his mind to Christopher when he finds his way into the Barian world to retrieve Kaito from him and aside from the harsh remarks and lashing out, Mizael is impressed. Impressed that there was a human in front of him stubborn enough to come to an extremely dangerous place just for Kaito's sake when he already knew the answer was going to be a blatant _no_. But there he is, accepting whatever insult is thrown at him with an unchanged face - the only thing that changes is the determination that his eyes and it only gets _stronger_ - and that's what causes Mizael to finally give in.

There's too much about Christopher Arclight's presence at that moment that resembles Kaito (the stance, the gaze, the words used) and Mizael finally understands from where his rival had gotten his way of being. Kaito held admiration for this man, way beyond the purely physical thing he had thought. And for Kaito - someone just as proud as Mizael in essence - to truly get to look up to someone only meant that giving in wasn't probably such a bad idea. The dislike for him is still there, but a cordial silence remains between both as Kaito's body leaves the crystal and lands into Christopher's arms. _Give him a proper resting place_ is all that's said before Mizael himself leaves the room.

* * *

To his dislike, Kaito has still ended up in one of the human 'coffins' underground, but Mizael is mildly content of the fact that the Arclights had set him up a special location for it to happen. He doesn't question it nor shows up for the funeral (he does understand something of a place where _big brother and Chris used to watch the moon together_ from Kaito's little brother as he watches over him once out of pure curiosity towards the kid).

Once he's sure no one's visiting - he wants his time alone with Kaito and as invisible as he can make himself there's no peace whenever Yuuma comes see the tomb - he sits himself in front of it and stares at it for several hours in the deepest silence before he finally opens his mouth. The moment he does he can't be silenced anymore; sometimes he spends even several days in a row there and only take breaks when someone else comes by. He speaks to keep his promise - stories that would have seemed stupid if he kept them for himself now gain a meaning as he tells them to Kaito, and knows that wherever it is Kaito's soul is listening (it's only natural it is, he was the one who asked Mizael for stories anyway, and if he's not then the Barian sure as hell was going to search for him and _you're a jerk, you know_).

Mizael never runs out of stories to tell since he never runs out of time to spend with Kaito; lots of years pass, and Kaito's former friends abandon the living as well with their lives now properly complete yet the Mizael never leaves; he _can't_ leave Kaito. Not until he's fulfilled his promise to tell him about himself, and he even discovers new things he didn't know of his own persona - so it keeps going forever. A story told, another one unfolds.

* * *

With time he forgets his original form (or is he actually returning to it? There's no knowing) and there's no longer a Barian talking to a grave. There's no actual talking either, just a flood of thoughts floating in the air and carried by the wind to the person their destined to. The dragon guarding the place is eternal - just a soul that has changed shape but doesn't plan to leave or disappear anytime soon. It knows it's not alone. Somewhere far away, he can hear another dragon's cries, and they're getting closer and closer. It won't be long until they are together - and he might get some stories in return.


End file.
